Jabberwocky

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sward in hand;

Long time the manxome foe he sought –
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumping back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjousday! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Lewis Carroll, 1871

Jabberwocky – Nonsense English Words

Instructions: Using your newfound powers of inference, and using the context
clues within the poem, identify the part of speech of each of the nonsense English
words below, and also provide a brief (1 or 2 word) definition (real English) of each.
Then, REWRITE the poem and substitute your real English words in place of the
nonsense English words. If the poem makes sense, GREAT! If the poem doesn’t
make sense, redo it until it does make sense!

1. brillig– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:

2. slithy– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
3. toves– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
4. gyre – noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
5. gimble– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
6. wabe– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
7. mimsy– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
8. borogroves– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
9. mome– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
10.raths– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
11.outgrabe– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
12.Jabberwock– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
13.Jubjub– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
14.Frumious– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
15.Bandersnatch– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
16.Vorpal– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
17.Manxome– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
18.Tumtum– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
19.Uffish– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
20.Whiffling– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
21.Tulgey– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
22.Galumping– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
23.Beamish – noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition:
24.Frabjous– noun/adjective/verb/adverb: Definition: